Why Some Kids Take Longer to Recover From Brain Injury

March 16, 2017

(HealthDay News) -- Brain scans may reveal which children will take longer to recover from a traumatic brain injury, according to a new small study. Damage to white matter in the brain -- seen with brain imaging -- appears to be associated with slower recovery, researchers found.

"Traumatic brain injury is a leading cause of disability in children, but it's very difficult to predict long-term outcome and which kids might need more aggressive treatment," said study author Emily Dennis.

"While the severity of the injury certainly plays a role in this, there's still a lot of uncertainty -- you frequently have two patients with similar injuries who have different recoveries," said Dennis, a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

The study included 21 children, aged 8 to 18. They had been hit by a car, hurt in a car crash, or had fallen from skateboards, scooters or bikes. As a result, they suffered moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). CONTINUE